The Assyrian Democratic Organization
By Mirella Hodeib
BEIRUT – Daily Star — Friday saw a flurry of words and meetings concerning Lebanon’s almost nine-month-old political impasse Friday as politicians from both camps continued to voice warnings about the negative impact of the formation of a parallel government. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea described the formation of a second government as a “criminal, illegitimate and unconstitutional act,” adding that attempts to form such a government were “extremely dangerous and threatened civil peace.”
“Some groups in Lebanon wish to stage a coup in Lebanon through suggesting the formation of a parallel government,” Geagea said after a visit to Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir in Bkirki on Friday. The LF leader said presidential elections will take place on the assigned date “no matter what,” adding that the March 14 Forces would not object if the next president was not a member of the March 14 camp.
“We are willing to show flexibility concerning the choice of president, but what is of key importance is the fact that the next president should be strong-willed rather than a puppet,” he added. Also in Bkirki, MP Michel Murr said he was “75-percent optimistic that a solution to Lebanon’s problems can be reached.” He added, “The issue of presidential elections is the most problematic, and we are working to solve all misunderstandings so that elections can run smoothly.”
Murr ran into Geagea while in Bkirki, and met with Geagea and Sfeir for about 15 minutes to talk over recent developments on the Lebanese political scene. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, who visited Lebanon last week to try to broker an agreement between the two political camps, assigned Murr to pursue reconciliation efforts. Murr had already met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.
Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday that Moussa is about to finish drafting a detailed report on the outcome of talks conducted by the Arab League delegation during its visit to Lebanon last week. http://www.dailystar.com.lb The daily added that Moussa had met on Thursday night in Cairo with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch. Welch said after the meeting that talks with Moussa had focused on the situation in the region, particularly in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.
Murr said the Lebanese should not “wait for the Arab League or any other regional or foreign forces to find solutions to their own problems, because the Lebanese should be the ones initiating solutions.” He said the scenario of a parallel government was “quite probable,” in light of divisions among various groups, adding, “However, we will pursue efforts to avoid such scenario, because the Lebanese can no longer handle any divisions.”
Also stressing the need for a solution to the deadlock to emerge from Lebanon, French lawmaker Gerard Bapt said resolutions to the impasse “should be reached by the Lebanese together, rather than being imposed on them.” “The latest French initiative concerning Lebanon should not be qualified as a failure, but at the same time we should not see it as a miraculous resolution of Lebanon’s problems,” Bapt said after visiting Aoun.
The French lawmaker said his country was keen on holding dialogue with figures from across the Lebanese political spectrum, “in order to reach a solution before imminent presidential elections and to avoid the formation of a parallel government.” The specter of a parallel government also dominated the speeches of various Lebanese politicians; National Dialogue Party head Fouad Makhzoumi warned on Friday of the “drastic repercussions” the formation of such a government might have.
